A Picture's Worth
by turbomagnus
Summary: Clark discovers pictures of a photo shoot from a modeling job Tess took to pay her tuition. CxT.


Author's Note: The 365 Project is an experimental project to write and post at least one short every day for the next year, not including my semi-regular bi-weekly updates. This is The 365 Project, 4 March.

Clark discovers pictures of a photo shoot from a modeling job Tess took to pay her tuition.

Understand that in the context of this story, 'sarong' refers to the Western beachwear, not the more traditional sarong.

Disclaimer: "Smallville" is the property of Warner Brothers Entertainment and DC Comics and is used for entertainment purposes without permission or intent to profit.

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"A Picture's Worth"  
By J.T. Magnus, 'Turbo'

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Clark was bored. He didn't get bored as easily as Bart, but he still found himself bored easier than most people - a side-effect of super-speed and the faster reaction times and thought processes that went with it that most people didn't consider when they thought of it. If one were to use a cliche, things were quiet, too quiet. Lex was still missing, there were no left-over examples of Kryptonian science rearing their heads and causing problems, Lois was in Gotham for the Planet so she couldn't end up dragging Clark into anything... It was almost enough to make the Kansas-raised Kryptonian paranoid in addition to being bored.

Normally, Clark would keep from being bored by going in to the Planet and working on an article, but he had unfortunately discovered a downside to the woman he was involved with also being the publisher of the paper he worked for, something far worse than the betting pools in the bullpen and the rumors in the break room; if Tess thought he was over-exerting himself between being the 'Blur', Ollie's 'Justice League' and working at the Daily Planet among other things, she had the means to make him take some time off from at least part of that by telling security to not let him in the Planet building. That was going into its second week; he'd tried to sneak in on the third day, only to be confronted by an angry red-head who he could almost swear had Kryptonite in those green eyes with how her glare was affecting him when she informed him that he could leave on his own - super-speed or not, she didn't care - or she'd have security escort him out, being on a two-week vacation meant he didn't come to work, at all, for any reason. Suddenly, any meteor-freak, evil Kryptonian or anything else he had ever faced before just wasn't that scary anymore, not after seeing Tess that angry with him. He had left the building quickly, not sure even his invunerable skin would've saved him if he'd tried to argue.

So, here he was five days later, day eight of fourteen days of enforced vacation and it was like the rest of the universe had somehow decided it would be more amusing to coincide a complete lack of anything else happening along with his time off than it would be for him to be caught up in a fight for his life or anything. Clark was bored. He couldn't even accept one of Bart's challenges to a race since the speedster was in Central City. Clark still wasn't sure what he was doing there since he just couldn't believe the other man would care about flowers, even irises. Sometimes it seemed to Clark that Bart had more secrets than he himself did.

Clark was bored, so he had been wandering around the building they used for the 'Watchtower' - at a normal walk instead of super-speed - just to pass the time. Eventually, he found himself in one of the rooms they used as a lounge - chairs, a couple sofas and a large table between them all being prominent fixtures and piled high on the table were an assortment of books and magazines supplied by all the different members of the 'Justice League'. Idly, Clark walked over to the table and began looking through the selection to see if there was anything he might be interested in that could take an hour or two up.

"'Fish Species of The Great Lakes', that's AC's," Clark muttered at the first book before moving on, "'PC World' and 'Popular Mechanics' - Vic..."

Two magazines joined the book in a new pile forming to the side as Clark picked up another, "Yep, that's Dinah's."

He quickly tossed it onto the pile and rubbed his hand on his jeans, trying to forget what he had just picked up. A couple more books went on the pile to cover it up before Clark found another title that got his attention.

"'Forensic Science Monthly', addressed to a B. Allen," Clark shook his head, "Not what I'd expect from Bart, honestly..."

Laying down Forensic Science Monthly, he picked up another magazine and groaned, "This is more what I'd expect... from..."

Clark trailed off as a lump developed in his throat when his eyes moved from the title of the magazine down to the actual cover with a large announcement about 'The Mermaid's Not So Little Anymore' being on page forty-seven. That however, in and of itself wasn't the cause of Clark's sudden speechlessness, but rather the woman on the cover; the 'Mermaid' herself, a younger Tess Mercer was looking back at him with a hand behind her head and the other on her hip, lips in a pout that did things to his insides and all wrapped up in a lavender bikini and sea-foam green sarong. He quickly opened the magazine to page forty-seven and his jaw dropped. As soon as he regained control of himself, he pulled out his cell phone and hit one of the speed-dial numbers.

"You're not coming in, Clark," Tess answered the phone sharply.

"I wasn't calling about that," Clark began to pace, one hand holding his cell to his ear while he held the magazine with the other, "I was wanting to ask you a question."

"What kind of question?"

"What do you know about 'The Mermaid's Not So Little Anymore'?"

Clark could hear the sound of the reciever dropping on the other end of the line and Tess scrambling to pick it back up.

"What do you know about that?" Tess demanded.

"I'm looking at it," Clark answered flatly.

"Oh, god," Tess groaned, "I thought I had gotten away from that. Short version; I needed a way to pay back my loans and tuition from college, I took a modeling job that paid well for a couple shoots. That was years ago, I didn't even know any of those pictures were still around, I don't want any of those pictures to still be around - how did you find them?"

"There was a magazine at the 'Watchtower'," Clark answered cautiously.

"Whose magazine?" Tess demanded.

"Uh..." Clark moved the magazine around looking for a mailing label and not finding one, "I guess it was bought at a store, I don't know whose it is, Tess."

Tess thought for a moment, drumming her fingers on her desk as she did, "Clark... Hold it by the spine and let it fall open, then tell me where it opens to."

Clark did so and frowned, "It's opening to, uh..."

"The 'Mermaid' shoot?" Tess frowned, "Clark, it's Ollie's."

"Are you sure?"

"Only two people in the 'Watchtower' would have that magazine and have looked at that shoot until the spine is worn to the point that it opens to it," Tess explained, "And since you just found it, that just leaves..."

"Ollie," Clark growled, following Tess's train of logic.

"Exactly," Tess nodded even though she knew he couldn't see the action.

"Tess," Clark finally said in a too-calm voice, "I may be a little late picking you up from work tonight - it seems I'm going to have to make a quick run out to Star City."

Knowing that he sometimes reacted badly to things that he considered 'attacks' on people he cared about, Tess quickly replied, "Clark, don't do anything stupid."

"I won't, I promise... I'll use good judgement, I'm just going to _talk_ to Ollie about this," Clark answered, leaving that he'd also make the archer eat his own bow if Clark didn't like what he had to say for himself unsaid.

"Well, don't _talk_ to him too much," Tess commented casually, "I want to _talk _to him about this too."

Clark mentally winced, somehow, he got the feeling from her tone that Tess would probably end up doing more damage to Ollie than he would over this.

"I'll... uh, I'll let him know that, Tess," Clark said into the phone, "I'll see you after work?"

"After work, yeah," Tess answered, "And I'll want to hear all about your _conversation_ with Ollie, too."

"I love you," Clark told her, hoping it would help calm her down before she took it out on some unsuspecting Planet employee.

"I love you too, Clark," Tess sighed, "Bye."

"Later, Tess," Clark answered before they both hung up. Taking a couple deep breaths, he rolled the magazine up and slipped both it and his phone into the pocket of his jeans. First he was going to the farm to hide the magazine somewhere Ollie, Tess nor nobody else could ever find it; then, he was going to Star City to give Ollie a reminder of whose girlfriend Tess was now and why he shouldn't have kept this magazine after she and Clark had gotten together. It would still probably be less painful for Ollie than it would when Tess got to him.


End file.
